Stealing Home
by Nolebucgrl
Summary: Edward Cullen is hot shot baseball player in a bit of a slump. Bella Swan is the girl that he couldn't have long ago and now she's his new owner and he can't have her again. Will he walk away or swing for the fences?
1. Chapter 1

**A/N Reader/Twitter friend HeBelongsToMoi asked if I could do a baseball story since she liked my football one. My mind immediately came up with this and I got writing. It was initially going to be a one-shot but I decided I want to write a second chapter since I didn't feel I could do all I wanted in the first. Hope you enjoy!**

Stealing Home

It was the bottom of the ninth and the bases were loaded with two outs. We were up by one but a hit here would mean a loss to a division rival that we could not afford at this point. We led by two games but the Cubs were breathing down our necks and the playoffs were fast approaching. Derrek Lee was at the plate, nursing a full count, hoping Crowley left one in the sweet spot right down the middle. Lee was in a slump at the moment but he'd always been a pretty clutch hitter. I grimaced as the word slump entered my mind. _You'd know all about that, wouldn't you, Cullen? _

There wasn't time to ruminate on that thought because Lee connected with a breaking ball that didn't break. The bat splintered on impact and the ball was scorched directly at me. I ranged to the right, toward my third baseman, scooping the ball in my glove and pivoting to fire the ball to second. Uley got the ball just before the runner touched the bag and the ump threw up his thumb to signal the out. Game over and now our division lead was three games with only fourteen left to play.

"Nice play, Captain," Emmett said, swatting me on the ass with his glove as we jogged into the dugout. I tossed my glove at him and he dodged it, laughing loudly. Emmett McCarty had been the Cardinals star first baseman for the past seven years. He was our cleanup hitter, a big time home run and RBI guy. Of course, he also had the most strike outs on the team but that's what happened when you hit for power.

"Thanks for preserving my W," Jasper Whitlock, our starting pitcher said as I walked into the locker room. He'd pitched eight strong innings, only giving up one run. Had our offense not been anemic lately, there wouldn't have been any drama in the final inning. I'd gone 0-3 with a measly walk today. I was still batting just over .300 but I wasn't hitting the ball well lately. It was exactly the wrong time for me to start cooling off too.

"Anything for my favorite brother-in-law," I told him with a quick grin. Jasper had married my little sister Alice just over two years ago and they were expecting their first child any day now. I was completely excited to be an uncle and couldn't wait the arrival of my niece. We were all hoping she would arrive before the playoffs but who knew? If she was anything like her mother, she'd be late.

"Will you be at dinner tomorrow night?" Jasper asked, wincing as he took the ice pack off his shoulder.

"Yeah," I muttered, shrugging out of my jersey and bending to take off my cleats.

"You're not bringing anyone, are you?" he asked, a note of alarm in his tone.

I laughed at the fearful expression on his face. "Hell, no. Alice has hated every girl I've ever dated. If you think I'm going to risk her pregnancy hormone wrath, you've got another think coming."

"Thank God. She ranted about that Jessica chick for a week straight," Jasper told me, relief coloring his voice.

I shook my head. "She was right about her." Alice was generally right about the women I dated but I would never give her the satisfaction of letting her know that. Jasper could tell her if he wanted.

He chuckled. "Of course she was. My Ali tends to read people very well."

"Yeah," I rolled my eyes and turned around to grab a towel. I stood to head to the shower when our manager, Coach Clapp, came around the corner.

"Hey everyone, listen up." There was a chorus of groans as we prepared for another of his long winded post game speeches. I sank back down on the bench to sit next to Jasper. Emmett plopped down next o me.

"Here we go again," he muttered.

Coach cleared his throat and I noticed that his eyes were a little red. I nudged Emmett, who was texting on his blackberry. "What man?" he asked in irritation. I nodded my head toward Coach and Emmett's eyes widened and he put his phone away.

"I have some bad news." The locker room went silent at his raspy words. Something was very wrong. "I just got a call. Charlie Swan suffered a massive heart attack today. He passed away a couple hours ago." There several gasps throughout the room and I felt like I'd been punched in the gut. Charlie Swan was our team owner. He'd bought the St. Louis Cardinals fifteen years ago and he was a hell of a man. He wasn't one of those hands off owners, who sat in the luxury box and read stock reports. He spent the majority of his time down in the dugout with the rest of us. He was a surrogate father to many of us, and a friend. He wasn't even very old, late 40's, early 50's tops. How could he be gone?

"Coach, what does this mean for the team?" I glared at Mike Newton, insensitive asshole. Typical of him to only be thinking of how Charlie's death affected him.

"I don't really know, Newton," Coach told him angrily. "I imagine Charlie's daughter will inherit the team. She's his only living relative. For now, Eric Yorkie will continue to the run the team as GM, just like usual. Whether Isabella wants to do anything different…I can't really say." I jerked at the sound of her name. Little Bella Swan was going to be our new owner? She was just a kid.

"The funeral will be held on Thursday and I expect all of you to be there to pay your respects. It's an off day so nobody has an excuse." He glanced around the room. "We're going to send our owner off in style and give Isabella all the support she needs. Hit the showers." He left as quickly as he'd appeared, headed back to the office to make some calls I imagined.

"I can't believe Charlie's dead," Emmett said softly.

"I can't believe a twenty-two year old is going to be our new owner. I wonder if she's gotten hotter since she grew up," Mike Newton murmured. "Maybe I could help her overcome her grief."

That fucking did it. I turned around and slammed him into his locker. He let out a grunt of pain. "What the fuck, Cullen?"

"Her father just died, you asshole. The last thing she needs is a dick like you hitting on her. You show her some respect," I shouted, my forearm pressing into his windpipe.

Emmett and Jasper each grabbed one of my arms and pried me off him. Mike gasped for breath and glared over at me. "Shit, Cullen, what was that for? I was just playing." Then he grinned. "Oh, I forgot. Bella had a bit of a crush on you back in the day, didn't she? Didn't she ask you to prom? You broke her little heart and I'm the asshole?"

"That's utter horseshit and you know it, Newton." Bella hadn't asked me to prom, she'd just followed me around like a puppy dog. I remember how gangly and awkward she was when I met her. She was seventeen, in that stage between being a girl and being a woman. She'd had braces but contrasted that with some nice curves. I was twenty and had just been called up to the bigs. She hadn't ever worked up the nerve to ask me out. I knew she had a crush on me, I wasn't blind. I'd never broken her heart though. I just hadn't responded to her romantically. We spent a lot of time together, talking and being friendly. Bella was my friend, despite the fact that she had beautiful eyes and very kissable lips. I couldn't have gone there, she was just a kid.

"Whatever you say, Edward. I remember she had those pretty doe eyes…I imagine they'd look really sexy as she was looking up at me while giving me a blow job. I'll be sure to take her off your hands this time around." I lunged at him again but Jasper and Emmett had not relinquished their hold on me.

"Get the fuck out of here, Newton, or I'll turn Cullen loose and come after you myself. You don't talk about Isabella like that," Emmett told him, his voice filled with ice.

"Yeah, you know, I might just have to tell her what you said," Jasper said thoughtfully. "I don't imagine the new boss would be so amenable to cutting your checks if she knew how you talked about her."

"You guys are dicks. I'm just having a little fun," Newton muttered, slamming his locker and stalking off toward the showers.

"He really needs an ass kicking," Emmett said.

"I was trying to give him one before you pulled me off him," I pointed out. I was all fired up and I really wanted to get rid of my aggression by pounding on Newton for awhile.

"Wait until after the season," Jasper told me. "He may be a douche but I need him behind the plate." Yeah, Mike was actually a very good catcher and we couldn't afford to lose him for the playoffs. I would kick his ass the instant we were done though.

"Fine," I agreed reluctantly.

"I wonder what Bella's like now," Emmett said. "I haven't seen her since she headed off to school. Where'd she go again?"

"U-Dub. Charlie was originally from Washington and she decided to go home." I remembered how excited she'd been the day she got accepted. She'd been glowing when she came to the stadium to show her father the letter. She'd been beautiful, but so very young. I'd congratulated her and hurriedly left the locker room that day. I had only seen her one time since, when she came to say goodbye.

Newton was an ass but he was right about one thing, she had gorgeous brown eyes. They'd been shining with excitement as she got ready to drive from St. Louis to Washington. She'd given me a kiss on the cheek and told me goodbye. The moment her lips touched my face was burned into my memory. Her lips had been incredibly soft and I'd felt that simple kiss all the way down to my toes. My reaction to her had stunned me but I'd covered up my surprise by telling her to have fun at school and stay out of trouble. Some of the light had died out of those pretty eyes as she nodded and walked away without another word. She hadn't been back since, though I knew she'd visited her father. I wondered what she was like now, if she was dating anyone and if they were treating her right and how she was doing. She and Charlie had been incredibly close. This had to have hit her hard.

"I guess we'll see her at the funeral," Emmett said softly, his usual exuberance muted at the thought of Charlie's passing.

"Yeah." I slammed my locker shut and made way to the showers. I had been standoffish to Bella because of her age, but she was an adult now and she'd need some friends to help her through. This time, I was going to be there for her.

Xoxoxoxox

My alarm sounded bright and early Thursday morning and I grunted as I smacked the snooze button. We'd played until 10:30 PM last night and I hadn't gotten home until after midnight. Now it was 6 AM and I had to get ready for a funeral. Not exactly a great day off. I dragged myself out of bed and into the kitchen to grab a cup of coffee. I needed lots of caffeine to get through this day. I was in the middle of my second cup when my cell phone sounded. Who the hell was calling me before 7 AM?

I grabbed the phone and my heart started pounding when I saw Jasper's name on the caller ID. I hit talk and before I could say a word, his voice came over the line, sounding both excited and panicked at once. "It's time," he told me.

"Alice is in labor, now?"

"Yes! Call coach and tell him I can't be at the funeral. Hell, you better tell him you can't be there either. Alice will have a fit if…" he was cut off by the sound of my sister screeching in the background.

"You better be there Edward or I'm going to kill you!" she shouted.

I held the phone away from my ear and fought back a laugh. "I'll be there."

"Thanks, man," Jasper sounded incredibly relieved. "I'm driving as fast as I can Alice! Do you want me to get pulled over? Do you want to have her in the car?"

"I will if you don't drive faster!" she screamed. Holy shit, this was going to be one hell of a day. "I gotta go, see you there. Get there quickly," he ordered, hanging up without another word.

I shook my head and dialed Coach quickly. After I explained what was going on he was okay with us not being there. I felt bad for not being there to say a final goodbye to Charlie but I knew he would have understood. Hopefully Bella would as well. I felt a twinge of regret over not being able to be there for her today. I'd find a way to contact her soon, let her know how sorry I was.

Xoxoxox

I got home from the hospital fourteen exhausting hours later. I didn't even bother to eat or turn on the TV; instead I went directly to the bathroom and took a shower, then slipped into bed and thought about the past day. While my surrogate father had been laid to rest, my sister had given birth to a beautiful baby girl. Jasmine Marie Whitlock had been born after thirteen hours of labor. She was gorgeous, with a head full of Alice's black hair and Jasper's electric blue eyes. I was wrapped around her little finger the instant I laid eyes on her.

I wasn't in any rush to have children but I did feel a slight pang when I held her for the first time. I'm only twenty five and I have plenty of time for a wife and kids but I'm pretty tired of playing the field, so to speak. Getting girls wasn't difficult for me at all but keeping them around for any length of time didn't seem to be my forte. I'd get bored or they'd want more than I was willing to give. I was more of a homebody than anything else and the women I dated usually wanted to be out and about.

I felt a smile cross my lips as I remembered the first time I met Charlie Swan.

_It had been my first day in the league and I was told to go into the office for a meeting. I assumed it was with Coach but I was dead wrong. I opened the doors and there was Charlie Swan, leaning back in his chair, watching me steadily as I walked into the room and stood awkwardly next to the door._

"_Well, sit down boy, what are you doing standing there?" He gestured to the leather chair in front of his desk and I hurried to comply with his request. I was petrified, just a kid really and here I was meeting the man that would be deciding my fate. _

"_So, they tell me you're the next Derek Jeter. Is that true?" His moustache twitched and his dark eyes twinkled at the question._

_I sat up in the chair and straightened my shoulders. "I don't like to compare myself to anyone. I'm the first Edward Cullen."_

_He let out a hearty laugh. "I love that. Always be you, kid. Don't change who you are. I hear you're destined to be a star and maybe that's true. But remain humble. I don't ask much out of my players, just that you put your best out on that field every day and don't do anything to bring a black eye to the team. Think you can manage that?"_

_I nodded emphatically. "Yes, sir."_

_He snorted. "It's Charlie, kid. Now, tell me something, you gotta girlfriend?"_

_I was momentarily frightened by the question. What did that matter? He wasn't hitting on me, was he? I shook my head. "Well, a good looking guy like you is going to have women throwing themselves at him. Be smart about who you hook up with. You never know who likes you for you or who likes you because you're the starting shortstop for the St. Louis Cardinals." _

_I was relieved that he didn't seem to want me and I smiled. "I think I can handle it." Hell, that was a good problem to have, right?_

_Charlie laughed. "I'm sure you think you can. Just remember, regardless of what you want from them, be it one night or a lifetime, you treat them with respect. Even if you think they're using you. There's nothing like a woman scorned, Edward. I don't need girls crying to the press over their treatment by one of my players. You get what I'm saying?" I told him I did and he dismissed me._

Charlie's words had stayed with me during my five years in the league. I kept my one night stands to a minimum and when I ended it with a woman, I did so gently. I even managed to stay friends with a couple of my exes. I thought that was great but Emmett told me it just meant that I'd yet to find a girl that incited my passion. Maybe he was right. I'd certainly never been heartbroken when a relationship ended. I just…moved on.

But today, seeing the look on Jasper's face as he looked at Alice while he held his daughter for the first time really drove home the fact that I was alone. I wanted to feel that way about someone. My eyes were heavy so I put those thoughts away and prepared to sleep. Maybe someday….

Xoxoxoxox

I got up at ten on Friday morning and made my way to Busch Stadium in the early afternoon. We had a 7:05 PM game against the Brewers, another important divisional matchup. They were only four games back so we needed to take this series. I needed to start hitting. I couldn't figure out what the hell was wrong with me. I was doing everything the same as I always did. I wore my lucky gold chain that Alice had given to me the day I got called up to the majors, I blew a bubble before exiting the dugout, I took three practice swings before every at bat…what could it be? I was mystified. It felt like I was seeing the ball well, my swing seemed solid…I had no clue. Neither did my batting coach.

I went to my locker and changed. I was the first one in, which was nothing unusual. I liked to get extra time in the batting cage and watch game film on the opposing pitcher. Randy Wolf was on the mound for the Crew tonight and he had a wicked curve ball. I usually hit him pretty well but who knew what today would hold?

I heard the distinctive click of high heels on the concrete floor and glanced over my shoulder to see what was going on. I hoped to God it wasn't Lauren Mallory looking to corner me before the game. She worked for _The Post-Dispatch _and was constantly attempting to get me into bed. Like I was stupid enough to sleep with a reporter? Rejection seemed to bounce off her though; she just kept coming after me like a rabid dog.

The first thing I noticed when I caught sight of the female walking toward me was that she wasn't Lauren. This woman put Lauren to shame in every single way. She had hair the color of the mahogany wood cabinets in my kitchen. I loved that color. Her heart shaped face was gorgeous, a perfect peaches and cream complexion, high cheekbones, deep brown eyes flecked with some gold…she was stunning. And the rest of her body was as lovely as her face. She was wearing a charcoal gray pinstriped suit/skirt combination with a cream colored blouse underneath. Her legs were perfect, shapely and muscular at the same time. The tight little package was made complete by a pair of gray heels that matched her outfit perfectly. My mouth was watering at the sight of her.

It wasn't…it couldn't be…"Bella?" I asked, shock coloring my tone.

Her lips twitched a little before she answered me. "Yes, Mr. Cullen. I'm Isabella Swan." _Mr. Cullen? _What the fuck was up with that?

I tried not to let my irritation show. "It's good to see you again, Bella. I'm so sorry about Charlie."

She frowned in response. "Thank you. I was hoping I could speak with you before the game today?" Bella was acting extremely weird, not at all like my Bella. _Your Bella? What the fuck does that even mean? _I shook that thought off. Maybe this was just her reaction to grief. She was putting up a barrier between herself and everyone else. I could understand that.

"Sure," I told her. She turned on those slim heels and made her way back toward the offices. I guess we were going to be formal about everything. I put my glove back in my locker and shut it before following her. She paused outside of Charlie's office for a minute and I placed a hand on her shoulder. "I know it's hard but he'd want you to take it over. He was so proud of you, Bella." She let out a little sigh and pulled away from me as she opened the door. She walked to the desk, trailing her elegant fingers over the gleaming cherry wood before pulling out the chair and sitting down. She gestured to the seat in front of her, much as her father had five years ago. I bit back a smile at the memory.

"I'm thinking of making a few changes and I wanted to talk to you before I did," she told me. She wasn't looking directly at me; instead she seemed to be focused on the wall behind my right shoulder.

"Changes? What kind of changes?" She was in charge all of one day and already she wanted to make changes? I willed myself not to get irritated. She'd just lost her father. She didn't know what she was doing and at least she'd sought me out to talk about it first.

"Yes. Laurent isn't pulling his weight in center field. He's batting .220 overall and .180 with runners in scoring position. Meanwhile, Jason Garrett's on the bench and he's batting .295. It seems like a no brainer to me that he should be starting, not pinch hitting once every four games."

I couldn't help it and I grinned at her. She may not have been around but she'd definitely been paying attention. I felt a surge of pride go through me for some strange reason. "I couldn't agree more. Laurent's a real liability at the plate lately. Can I ask why you're discussing this with me instead of Coach Clapp?" Not that I minded, not at all. She looked so lovely and authoritative behind the desk and I wasn't going to lie, hearing her spout baseball stats was really turning me on. Thank God I was already wearing my cup.

She raised a perfectly sculpted eyebrow. "Because he's not here yet and you are. Plus, you're the captain. I value your opinion, Mr. Cullen." There we were with that Mr. Cullen crap again.

"Why do you keep calling me Mr. Cullen? You've known me for five years!" I wasn't going to let that continue without questioning her.

She blushed but met my eyes this time when she answered. "Our relationship has changed. I'm not a teenager anymore, Mr. Cullen. I'm your boss and as such, I expect you to call me Ms. Swan and I will call you Mr. Cullen. Or maybe just Cullen, since I've noticed you guys refer to one another by your last name often."

I opened my mouth and then closed it again, not sure how to respond. Where had my Bella gone? I understood her need to appear professional in front of reporters and even in the clubhouse but here and now? I didn't like it one fucking bit. _"Very well,_ _Ms. Swan._ Will there be anything else?" I couldn't keep the irritation out of my tone, nor did I want to. I wanted her to know that I was annoyed by this barrier she'd slapped up between us.

Her blush deepened but she didn't back down. "Yes, there are a few things. I'm also thinking we need to bring Lopez up from the minors and let him be the fifth starter. Call is not getting it done; he has a 5.32 ERA in his last 6 games. We need a strong staff for the playoffs, if we even get there." Again, she astounded me. She was exactly right. Julio Lopez was throwing well and Embry wasn't. It was another no brainer. More pride stirred in me as I looked at Bella, so confident in her baseball knowledge. _Oh, excuse me, Ms. Swan. _She was equal parts arousing and irritating and I didn't know what to do about it.

"You're exactly right. I've heard great things about Lopez and Call's not right. I think he may have tweaked a muscle in his shoulder. He denies it though." She muttered something about men and their arrogance before giving me a smile and a nod.

"I'm glad we're on the same page. I'll speak to Coach Clapp about those moves as soon as I see him."

"Listen, Bella." She frowned and I rolled my eyes. "I'm sorry, _Ms. Swan. _I just wanted you to know that I'm impressed with the moves you're making and Charlie would be very proud of you." She flinched as I said his name and I fought the urge to get up and touch her hand or hug her or some shit. I wanted to but I was pretty sure she wouldn't welcome the move. "He always was, you know." We'd talked about her plenty of times and he lit up like a Christmas tree whenever her name came up. "I'm sorry that I wasn't there to say goodbye yesterday." She looked like she was going to be sick. Was that what all this Ms. Swan stuff was about? Did she think I'd blown off her father's funeral? "My sister went into labor yesterday. I'm all the family she has left and she wanted me there. I wouldn't have missed it for any other reason."

She put her head in her hands and looked down at the desk instead of at me. "It's fine, Edward." She shook her head. "Mr. Cullen. Coach Clapp told me and I understand. I know how close you and my father were." Her voice broke a bit on the word father and I did stand up to go to her this time. I put my hand on her shoulder and she shot up like a rocket at my touch. "I'm fine!" she exclaimed, pulling away from me like I'd slapped her instead of touching her softly on her shoulder.

"Okay." I held my hands up in an "I surrender" type gesture and edged my way toward the door. It was clear that Bella was feeling pretty volatile right now, which was more than understandable under the circumstances. "I'm going to go hit the cage now." We had an underground batting cage with a machine that threw the balls for us. I needed the extra work.

Bella looked up at me then, her face pale. She bit her lip but her eyes flashed with resolve. "There is one more thing, Mr. Cullen."

"Okay, shoot," I said, giving her my lopsided smile. It never failed to make her blush back in the day. This time, though, there was no reaction. She folded her hands and regarded me steadily. "Well, what is it?"

"There's another change that needs to be made." She bit her lip as I stood by the door and waited for her to get on with it. "It's you," she blurted. What?

"Me? What about me?" I asked with my eyes narrowed.

She took a deep breath and then answered me. "You're not getting it done either." What the fuck? "You haven't been hitting well the past three weeks and we need production out of the three spot. We need guys on base when McCarty's at the plate." Okay, that was true but I was working on it and it wasn't like I was on a long cold streak like Laurent was.

"What are you saying?" I asked coldly. Surely she wasn't going to put me on the bench? She'd be crucified in the press if she even tried it, not that Coach would let her.

"I think you need to switch places in the batting order with Newton." Newton? He batted fucking seventh! I'd batted third since I came into the league. There was no fucking way.

"No fucking way," I spat at her before I could think about it. "I know I've been in a bit of a funk lately." I wasn't even going to use the word slump. "But that's why I'm here for some extra work. I'll be fine today, you'll see." That was that.

"No, Mr. Cullen, you won't be fine until you correct that little problem you've developed." Problem? What the hell was she talking about?

"What the hell are you talking about?" Okay, so my verbal filter was completely gone at this point but she'd pissed me off. Seriously, she thought she knew better than I did?

"You're stance has been off since you sprained your ankle four weeks ago," she told me matter-of-factly, like this was some common fucking knowledge that everyone but me had.

"What do you mean, my stance is off?" Like she knew? She'd never played a damn sport in her life. Charlie had told me she was hopeless.

"Watch some tape, Cullen. You're leaning forward in the box more, putting pressure on your left leg instead of your right. The right is what gives you your power." Well excuse me; I didn't know Bella had gotten her damn degree in fucking baseball physics while she'd been away. She leaned back in her chair and any sign of nerves was gone. In fact, her eyes were shooting fire at me and her cheeks were flushed with anger.

"You don't know what you're talking about!" I shouted at her.

"Don't I?" she asked sardonically, a small smile flirting at her lips. "You didn't seem to have a problem with my knowledge of the other players we just discussed." That was different. It just was.

"That's different."

She smirked at me then. "I'm sure it is. Why don't you go and watch some tape from last month and compare it to now and see just who is wrong here." Like hell I would. "Meanwhile, I'll talk to Coach about that lineup switch." Like hell she would. What the fuck had happened to her since she left? I didn't like the change, not one bit. _You sure as hell do. Look at her. _Okay, so she was stunning now but she was a hard, cold bitch too. That I didn't like. So she looked great even with her eyes snapping at me and an angry look on her face. That didn't mean I liked her. She was a ball-busting bitch.

"I'll talk to Coach as well," I warned her. He'd side with me, he always did.

She just smiled and waved her hand at me in dismissal. "Yes, we'll see who he listens to," she said.

"Is this because I rejected you all those years ago?" The words were out of my mouth before I even thought about saying them and I instantly wanted to take them back. She recoiled as if I'd slapped her and the cool woman vanished for just a moment. I saw the vulnerable, sweet girl she'd been years ago.

"Rejected me? I don't recall ever making a move on you," she replied coldly as the flicker of the old Bella I'd seen went away. "I may have had a crush on you, Mr. Cullen, but I can assure you that I got over it rather quickly. I would never let something as insignificant as that influence how I run_ my_ team today." If looks could kill I'd be a corpse on the floor right about then.

"Look, Bella, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to say that, I just got angry and…"

"It's fine, _Mr. Cullen_. I'm well over it. Go hit the cage. You need the practice." I bit back an angry retort and opened the door. Okay, maybe I shut it a little loudly but I didn't slam it. I heard a bang from behind the door but didn't stop to wonder what caused it. I stalked into the batting cages and started hitting the hell out of the ball. Who did she think she was? _Your boss. _Alright, I knew that, logically, but she was still Bella Swan. We'd been friends once, sort of. _Was it really a friendship though? She had a massive crush on you and you treated her like a little puppy dog. _Okay, true, but I had talked to her, been friendly with her. There wasn't an ounce of friendship there now.

I shook off thoughts of the past. It was time to focus on the here and now. I was going to break out of my funk and I would show her just who should be batting third. She could choke on her words. Little Bella Swan was gone and I had no use for the Ms. Swan that took her place.

Xoxoxoxo

"What do you mean I'm batting seventh?" I shouted, rage echoing in my tone.

Coach Clapp didn't bat an eyelash at my yelling. "Ms. Swan and I discussed it and she made some good points. Until you can get back to being yourself, we need to have you lower in the lineup. We're getting zero production at the top of the lineup and you're part of that. Newton's been hitting well. It makes sense."

"I can't believe you'd just let some woman who knows nothing…" I ranted, kicking the folding chair in Coach's office out of my way. His office was more like that of a high school coach's, not quite the high end business office that Bella had.

"Do you think it doesn't chap my ass that she was the one that saw what I didn't?" Coach interrupted, his nostrils flaring. "I used to give that girl piggyback rides! I've known her since she was seven years old. You think I wasn't a bit thrown to have her telling me what to do with my players?"

I stopped my pacing and stared at him in surprise. "Well, yes, I guess that would suck," I told him.

He laughed. "The bitch of it is that she's completely right. I should have benched Laurent's ass a month ago. I should have brought up Lopez that long ago as well." He sat back in his chair, his paunchy gut spilling over his uniform pants. "And you," he pointed at me. "I should have moved you down in the lineup a week ago. You've never gone this long without producing and I just told myself to wait it out. If this were May or June I could let you work through it. But it's September, Cullen, and we don't have time to dick around. We've pissed away a ten game lead and we've got another 4 game stand with the Cubs coming up. We can't afford to blow this, not after last year." I knew he was right. We'd choked last year and not made the playoffs at all.

"But, Coach, I can…"

"I know what you can do; Cullen, but you're not doing it right now. I watched film and I think Bella's right. It's barely perceptible…how the hell she caught it I don't even know. But it does look like you're letting the left leg take more of your weight." I scowled at his words even though I had a feeling she was right too. I'd tried adjusting my stance in the cage and I seemed to be instinctively keeping the pressure off my right ankle; which was fucked up because it didn't even hurt anymore.

He pulled out a sheet of white paper and held up the lineup card. "I've penciled you in at the seven spot for the next week. Work on the stance, show that you're back, and I'll move you up in time for the playoffs. I know it pisses you off, Cullen, but it's the right thing to do."

I gave him a curt nod because I knew better than to argue with him at this point. Coach was a stubborn bastard and Bella had gotten into his head. Mine too, apparently. I made my way into the locker room and found that the majority of my teammates had finally arrived. Jasper wasn't pitching for the next few days so he had the weekend off to be with Alice and Jasmine.

"Hey, Cullen," I bristled at the sound of Mike's smug voice behind me. "Looks like I'm taking your place today. I guess the boss lady doesn't have a crush on you anymore. Maybe I will ask her out."

I turned and glared at him. "Don't get too comfy, Newton and don't even think about going after Bella."

He laughed, his blue eyes twinkling with mirth. "Why, do you have a crush on her now? Role reversal? That's pretty pathetic, Cullen."

I slammed him into the lockers again. "I'll show you pathetic as soon as the season's over, you insignificant little prick." The humor died out of his face and he looked frightened. He knew I could kick his ass, he'd seen me in brawls on the field before.

"Edward, you okay man?" Emmett put a hand on my shoulder and I shrugged and released Newton.

"Get out of my face," I told him and smiled as he scurried away from me. Fucking loser. I turned to Emmett and nodded. "I'll be fine."

"Look man, I know it's a bitch but you'll be back to normal in no time."

"I will be; you're right about that." Damned if I was going to let _Ms. Swan_ keep me down for long. "Let's get out there and kick some ass," I told him.

He grinned. "Let's do it!"

Xoxoxoxoxo

Unfuckingbelievable! I came off the field and tossed my glove into my locker with a loud clang. "What's your problem, Cullen?"

I turned and looked into the smug face of Mike Newton and cocked my arm back to punch his ass. Who gave a fuck if he had a black eye? He could still play. Now if I broke his arm…

Emmett caught my fist and Newton scurried away like the pathetic little coward he was. "What the fuck, McCarty?"

"Do you really want to get suspended for fighting? You think our new owner wouldn't be more than happy to lay the hammer down on you after that performance tonight?" Damn it, I knew he was right but that didn't make me any less angry. Newton had gone 3-4 with two RBI's and scored two runs as well. I'd put up a fucking 0-4 from the seven spot. And don't think I didn't fucking hear the murmurs when the lineup was announced and everyone in the stadium knew that I'd been demoted. I don't care if they called it something else; it was a fucking demotion plain and simple. To top that off, I'd actually made an error, the ball rolled right under my glove and they'd scored a run because of it. We'd still won but it had been an all around crappy performance by me.

And it was her fucking fault entirely. She'd gotten into my head and I'd been shifting around so much in the batter's box it was like I'd had ants in my pants or some damn thing. And every time Newton got on base I was seething, which was fucking wrong. He was my teammate and I should want him to do well. If he wasn't such a douche and wasn't batting my spot in the order, maybe I would have.

Emmett eyed me for a minute to see if I was going to behave I guess and then he let of my fist. "I'm going home to Rose, do you need a ride?"

"Why would I need a ride? I have a car," I told him. Hell, he knew that. He lusted after my cardinal red Ferrari.

"Because you're too worked up to drive. The last thing you need to do is crash that pretty car of yours. I wouldn't be able to take it if something happened to it." His dimples winked as he grinned at me mischievously.

I barked out a surprised laugh. Only Emmett could get me to laugh after a day like this. "So, it's okay if I get hurt, but not my car?"

"Damn right. That car's classic, Edward. One of a kind. I can find another you somewhere. You're not that damn special." Nothing like being put in second place behind your car. He was right though, it was one of a kind. They'd never used that color of red before and they never would again, it was specially made just for me.

"I'm going to hang here for awhile and cool down before I head home." And watch some fucking tape, because apparently Bella, excuse me, _Ms. Swan,_ was right about my stance. I had to get that shit corrected pronto.

"You sure, man?" Emmett's concern for me was clear in his tone so I gave him a half hearted smile.

"I am. Go, Rose probably needs the relief." They had two year old twin boys and a daughter who was one.

He rolled his eyes. "You don't have to tell me twice. Last time I was an hour late getting home she about tore my head off. I'll see you tomorrow, Captain." He cuffed me on the shoulder and hurried out of the locker room.

I sat down on the bench and leaned my head against the cool metal of my locker, just letting the game play out again in my head. I'd been pissed in my first at bat in the second inning. I'd swung and connected with a low curve ball and I'd grounded it right back to the pitcher. Where was my patience? I rarely swung at the first pitch, particularly not at a low ball. My second at bat hadn't been any better. I'd gotten under a fast ball and popped it up to second base. I'd shown a little more patience my third time up, working the count full before striking out on an inside slider. My fourth at bat, when I was seething after my fucking error, I'd struck out on three straight fast balls. It was a pathetic showing by any standards, especially mine.

I heard the last of the players in the locker room clear out. They'd all wisely avoided me, having seen my mini-tantrum in the dugout. It felt good to knock over that jug of Gatorade though. I was ashamed of myself for acting like such an asshole after we won the game. I was the captain and it was my job to set a good example. Maybe _Ms. Swan_ would strip me of my title after that performance. Maybe Newton should be fucking captain. God I hated that motherfucker.

Sighing, I got up and stripped out of my stained jersey, tossing it into the huge laundry bin. I pulled on a pair of jeans and a plain white t-shirt, opting to shower when I got home so I could hit the tapes now. I walked down the hallway into the audio-video room. We had tapes of every game this year, plus opponent's games lining the right wall. I grabbed a couple of disks from last month along with a disk from this past week and fed them into the DVD player. I sank onto the comfortable leather sofa and hit play.

The first tape I studied was against the Reds from a month and a half ago. I'd gone 3-3 that day with a home run, a double and three RBI's. My swing was as sweet as ever. I skipped ahead to a disk from last week when I'd gone 1-3 against the Mets. The hit was a bloop single that just happened to fall right, I hadn't hit it well at all. I watched each at bat, stopping to rewind the video and focusing solely on my feet. Damned if she wasn't right. My right foot barely flush to the ground, in contrast to the first video where I pushed off that foot to put more power into my swing.

I'd sprained my ankle a month ago sliding into home. I'd been out for nearly a week while I healed and when I came back I felt fine. I didn't walk with a limp or anything but apparently I was subconsciously avoiding putting real pressure on it when I hit. It didn't make a lot of fucking sense since I was fine fielding, with the exception of today's inexcusable gaffe. But baseball was a psychological sport and I'd clearly let something get into my head.

I stood up and moved behind the couch, mimicking my own batting stance and pretending the ball was being fired at me. I swung and felt myself pushing off the left leg. Not good. I kept swinging my fake bat, concentrating on my right leg, leaning back and trying to get my power from that back foot. Eventually, I felt it. I felt like my swing was the same way it had been. How the hell had I not known the difference? Why, of all people, did she have to see it?

"It looks like you've figured it out," a quiet voice said from behind me. Her voice. Fuck. I closed my eyes and hoped when I opened them that I would find that I was imagining things. I opened them turned around slowly and there she was, still looking cool and perfect in her pretty gray suit. She was leaning in the doorway watching me with appraising eyes.

"Maybe I have," I muttered, not willing to agree with her even though she'd been right.

"Crappy night," she said, tilting her head against the doorjamb.

"It happens," I responded. I wasn't going to give her anything. She was right about my stance but that didn't fucking mean she was right about demoting me.

"I heard you and Newton had a bit of a thing in the locker room," she said with a raise of an eyebrow.

"So? He's a douche and you should stay away from him. Did he come crying to you?" I asked harshly, pissed off all over again at that the thought of that asshole hitting on her.

"What if he did? Wouldn't it be my job, as owner, to hear concerns of harassment against my players?" she asked with a sweet smile.

"I wasn't harassing him. I was just informing him that I was going to kick his ass." That wasn't harassment; that was a warning. There was a difference.

"Somehow I don't think my players fighting one another is a good thing," she responded dryly.

"Well get used to it as long as we have dicks like Newton on the team. And isn't it a little early to be calling us your players? You've had the team for all of one day."

Her whole body went rigid and I immediately regretted my words. What the fuck was wrong with me? I wasn't an asshole, was I? Why was I acting like one when it came to her? Why was she so damn different from the sweet kid I knew so long ago?

"Maybe Newton isn't the only dick on my team that I need to think about getting rid of," she snapped, eyes flashing with anger. "Maybe I need to get rid of a captain that thinks he's more important than anyone else on the team. While everybody else was celebrating an important win tonight, what were you doing?" I didn't answer her, my mind still focused on her calling me a dick and implying that she might get rid of me. She couldn't do that. I belonged here. "You were throwing a tantrum, that's what. The captain of _my_ team shouldn't be such a self-important jackass. So you're in a slump. Get the hell over it. There are far more important things to be upset about!" She was yelling now and tears were in her eyes as her voice cracked at the end of her statement.

She was right. I was a complete jackass and I was certainly no better than Newton. Before I could think about it I crossed the room and did the one thing I'd been thinking about doing since I first laid eyes on her earlier in the day. I wrapped her in my arms and reveled in how right she felt there. She was stiff at first but then her countenance softened and her arms went around me as she buried her face in my neck and started crying. She cried silently but they were sobs that shook her whole body. I scooped her up and carried her over to the couch and sat down with her.

"I'm so sorry, Bella. I know how hard this is for you and I never meant to be a jerk about it. I miss him too and I guess I'm not handling the idea of him being gone very well." I rocked her as she continued to cry in my arms. She wasn't Ms. Swan anymore, she was Bella, the girl who had lost her father and was doing her best to make sure his legacy lived on. Why the hell hadn't I seen that before?

She kept right on crying so I kept on babbling. I've never been good with a woman in tears. "I've been feeling like shit about my slump and I took it out on you even though I knew you were right about switching me with Newton. I didn't know about the stance but it looks like you were right about that too. I want you to know that I have no issue with you being in charge of the team. You clearly know your stuff. How do you know all that? I guess Charlie taught you. He taught me a lot too. One thing he taught me was how I should treat a woman but I didn't treat you very well. He'd kick my ass if he heard how I talked to you today." Bella hiccupped out a laugh and I figured that was a good sign.

I tilted her head away from my very wet t-shirt and looked into those streaming brown eyes. Though they were red, they were still very beautiful. "I am so sorry, Bella, for everything. Mostly I'm sorry about Charlie. He was truly the best guy I ever met." She smiled at me through her tears.

"He was. He was always so full of stories about you, Edward. He loved the way you played baseball. He told me to watch you, always to watch you, to truly understand the game. He said you just got it. That's how I knew something was off with you. I've spent a lot of time looking at you." Her voice was raspy from her crying but I understood everything she said. She bit her lip after that last sentence she'd uttered and tried to look away again.

I still had a hold of her chin and kept her from breaking away from my gaze. "I spent a lot of time trying not to look at you, but I wanted to," I admitted. I'd never even admitted it to myself but now I was telling Bella. Her mouth dropped open and then she closed it again quickly and shook her head.

"You thought I was a little kid with a crush."

I nodded because there was some truth in her words but it wasn't everything. "I thought you were a kid with a crush, yes, but I also thought you were beautiful. You were too young and your father would have killed me if I tried anything with you, Bella. Right before you went to college, when you had your braces off and you were so happy about getting into U-Dub, you were lovely, a woman, finally…I wanted you but I couldn't do anything about it."

She sighed. "I wish you had, Edward."

"I wish I had too." I brushed a thumb over her lips and felt them tremble beneath my touch. "Timing is everything though." And I knew the timing was not right again. She'd just lost her father, she was my boss. It seemed like our opportunity had come and gone. I let go of her face and sat back. She looked at me with her sad eyes and I wanted nothing more than to kiss her and try to take all her pain away but I couldn't. "It's late and I guess I better get home."

She put her hands on my face then and I felt a thrill race through me at her touch. "No, Edward. You're not pushing me away again."

"But, Bella, you just lost…"

"I know exactly what I've lost, Edward," she interrupted. "And I know exactly what my father would tell me if he was here. It's the bottom of the 9th and the count is full. Are you going to let the ball blow by you and hope it's not a strike or are you going to swing? Maybe you'll miss; maybe you won't, but at least try." I'd heard Charlie use that analogy countless times.

"You want to swing away? With me? Bella, I don't want you to regret anything. Our timing is shitty and I've been an asshole to you since you got here and…"

"And I still want you. I always have. Do you know how hard it was for me to tell you I was moving you down in the lineup? Do you think it didn't break my heart when I saw how angry you got? I couldn't show you because God, I was embarrassed. I still want you, all these years later. How pathetic is that?" Her voice was filled with passion and there was nothing pathetic about her.

"It's not pathetic. It's wonderful. I can't believe you still want me even though I was such a jerk."

She rolled her eyes. "I've seen you be a jerk before and I'll see you be a jerk again. You can't help it." I smirked at her and she laughed. "I want to do this, Edward. I know it's stupid and the fact that I own the team might be an issue…"

"Not for me, but maybe for you."

"We'll figure it out, together. But for now, would you just swing at the pitch, Edward? I've been waiting five years for you to take a chance." Nothing more needed to be said. I framed her face with my hands again and wiped the remaining tears off her cheeks. I leaned forward, slowly, and pressed my lips to hers. She moaned softly the instant our lips touched and then she parted hers and my tongue slipped inside to meet hers. Slow, soft movements. She tasted like heaven. I moved my hands from her face and ran them through her incredibly soft hair.

Her hands gripped my shoulders tightly as we kissed for a very long time. I had no idea how much time had passed when I pulled back but her eyes were no longer red. No, they were shining with happiness and for the first time since I'd seen her again, she looked like the happy girl I'd known back then. I wanted her to always look like that. "I think that's enough for tonight. You've got a lot going on and I really don't want to take advantage of you."

She laughed and the sound of it was melodic and beautiful. I'd missed that too. "I believe I was the one that told you to swing for the fences. But you're right, this isn't the time. But soon?"

I kissed her again, firmly, before pulling away. "Very soon." She got off my lap and smoothed her skirt back her lovely hips. I groaned at the sight and she sent me a seductive smile.

"Apparently." I shifted uncomfortably, not that she hadn't been aware of her effect on me.

She walked slowly toward the door, her hips swaying suggestively and making me regret being practical already. "Hey, Cullen?"

"Yes, Ms. Swan?"

"Keep working on that stance. I expect you to hit a home run for me real soon." She tossed a sexy smile over her face and walked out the door. I leaned back into the couch and let out a breath, reaching for the remote. I needed to watch some more tape. She'd get her home run, both on and off the field.


	2. Chapter 2

Stealing Home Chapter 2

I stepped into the batter's box and took my customary three practice swings before cocking the bat over my shoulder and staring down Carlos Zambrano as he started his wind up. I shifted my weight, almost smiling as my stance felt right again. I zeroed in on the ball as it hurtled toward me. That small, white cowhide was all I could see. It was level with my waist and heading right toward the center of the plate. Ahh, the sweet spot. I swung, as I always did, on pure instinct. Baseball was about timing and being just a second ahead or behind was the difference between a hit and a pop up. The head of the bat made contact with the ball and I took off instantly, a grin stretching my face as the ball scorched through the gap between short and third. A solid base hit. I legged it out and took a wide turn as if I were going to run to second but Weeks had fielded the ball cleanly so I wasn't about to chance it.

I didn't even give a damn when I remained stranded at first, Uley having struck out on a low curve ball. I felt good, finally. "Nice hit, Captain," Emmett told me with a grin as he ran to take his position at first. I grabbed my glove and settled in at short. I wondered if Bella was watching and if she was feeling smug about having been right. I'd been on a hot streak for a week now and that had more than a little bit to do with her advice. And also, maybe, a lot to do with the way she made me feel.

Every night, after the game, I went into the batting cage and took extra swings. And every night, like clockwork, she found me once the rest of the team had cleared out. She'd chat with me as she watched me swing, telling me how it looked and if I needed any further adjustment to my stance. We also talked, about anything and everything. She told me about her time away at school. I ate up her college stories, never having attended myself. I'd hit the minor leagues straight out of high school and though I could hardly regret it, seeing as I had a pretty decent career, I still missed out on the parties and the girls…oh and classes too.

Bella loved every minute of her college experience and she'd graduated with honors with her business degree. She was incredibly smart, which I'd known before but had managed to forget over the years. I admit I inwardly cringed whenever she mentioned something about her college boyfriend, some guy she'd dated for a couple of years. Of course, I hadn't exactly been a monk since she'd left and I didn't expect her to wait around for me to get my head out of my ass where she was concerned but it still stung a little to know that I hadn't been her first…that I wouldn't be her only. And that was just ridiculous. I'd had my opportunity to be that guy but had been too much of a pussy to take it. I would just have to reap the benefits of her experience.

It wasn't like all we did was talk, either. We spent countless hours kissing and touching, exploring one another's bodies but never taking it further than above the clothes groping. I had taken to waiting to shower until after I got home every night, so I could jerk off as I relieved the feel of her hands buried in my hair, running over my chest, sliding south…

"Wake up, Cullen!" I jerked myself out of my ruminations as Uley trotted past me into the dugout. I was uncomfortably hard just thinking about my evenings with Bella. I should be tired as shit, too, but I had a ton of energy these days. I was cheerful and whistling…Emmett kept asking what I was on and if I could get him some as well. I wasn't about to share the source of my high; she was all mine. And that was pretty amazing.

I brushed past Newton who was shrugging out of his chest pad and gave him a smirk, along with slight elbow to his right side. He glared at me and didn't say anything, because he fucking couldn't. Since his initial game batting in my spot, he'd cooled considerably, batting a mere .235 and an atrocious .198 with runners in scoring position. Meanwhile, I'd gone .355 and .425 with runners in scoring position. He knew his days were numbered and he'd be back to the seven hole as soon as the playoffs started. We'd clinch with a win today and then we could take it easy for a few days before we had to get serious again. I'd bet all the money I had that I'd be moved back into my rightful place by the end of the week.

I sat down next to Emmett and ruffled his hair. "Will you please hook me up with whatever you're on? My kids keep waking up alternating hours of the night and Rose kicks me out of bed to deal with them nine times out of ten. I need a pick me up."

"No can do, buddy. This high is all natural," I said with a shit-eating grin.

He narrowed his eyes at me and then his face lit up. "It's a woman!" he shouted. Half the fucking team turned to see what he was yelling about and I shushed him. "That's it, isn't it? You're not taking amphetamines or B12 shots, you've got yourself a girl," he said more quietly.

"Eh, you don't know what you're talking about. I'm on a hot streak so of course I'm feeling good." I wasn't ready to talk about Bella yet. Hell, even if she weren't my boss it was too early to talk about it, right? I mean, I may feel more for her than I'd ever felt for anyone before but it was definitely too early to be discussing her with my buddies. We hadn't even had sex yet. I hadn't even seen her naked yet. Yes, it was definitely too early.

"Sure I don't," Emmett snorted, leaning over to grab a batting helmet in case anyone got on before Newton got up to bat. "It wasn't that utterly long ago that I walked around looking as goofy as you did, when I met a certain blonde spitfire at a car show in Vegas."

I opened my mouth to comment but then closed it again because it was true. He'd been on cloud nine after he met Rose and hadn't come down from it until the twins came along. He was still completely besotted; he was just too tired to truly be up all the time. Kids did that to you. Jazz already looked like shit and it had only been a week since Jasmine had been born. I was thinking about offering to let him stay at my place during any home games during the playoffs but Alice would probably castrate me if I did. Jasper could just be tired; I wasn't risking my balls before I had a chance to make love to Bella.

"So, who is she? Why haven't you mentioned her yet? You're not usually so quiet about your conquests," Emmett prodded, looking at me expectantly.

"I can't…it's not, it's just different, okay?" I told him, frustrated because I couldn't tell him who she was and I didn't know how to articulate what she meant. I used to live for the game, for the crack of the bat and the smell of the grass and the adrenaline. Now it was all secondary to a sexy woman with big brown eyes and the softest skin I'd ever touched. It was scary just how fast I was falling. At least I didn't seem to be alone. Bella was still _Ms. Swan_ when everyone else was around but she dropped the hard shell the instant we were alone. Even when we were talking baseball, she spoke like a fan instead of an owner. I far preferred it, although, I found her surprisingly arousing when she had her _Ms. Swan_ armor on as well. Mainly because I liked to try to get under her skin without anybody realizing it. I was damned good at it too. It was strange, like she was two different people and I wanted them both. I wanted to make love to Bella but I wanted to fuck _Ms. Swan. _Basically I was a walking hard-on these days.

Emmett laughed and butted me with his helmet. "You finally found one you care about. I never thought I'd see the day! It's worth every second of the aggravation, man." I shook my head but didn't bother to deny his words. Bella was worth the wait. I may want to kick my own ass for being too stupid to make a move on her years ago but I hadn't been ready for her then. I was now.

Cheney got on base and Newton was walking to the plate with two out. Emmett put his helmet on and sent me another knowing grin before grabbing his bat and hitting the on deck circle. I couldn't hide my own smile when Newton took a fastball to the left shoulder and winced in pain. Hey, at least he finally got on base. Douche. I leaned forward as Emmett strode to the plate and took his position in the batter's box. He hit Zambrano like a dream and we had two on. Emmett watched as the first pitch caught the outside corner and was called a strike. He turned and said something to the ump but he didn't argue too vociferously so the call was probably correct. The next pitch was high and inside, brushing Emmett back off the plate. Ball one. Emmett shot a look at Zambrano and I chuckled. Pissing Emmett off was never a good thing. Sure enough, the next pitch was a low strike, right down the middle. Emmett took a gigantic swing and from the sound the ball made when the bat struck it, it was clearly a home run. The ball sailed over the fence, going about 435 feet by the looks of it. We were up 3-0 and had five innings to go to clinch the division.

Two hours later we ran into the locker room and dove into the celebratory bottles of champagne, squirting it all over one another. I got a nice shot of liquor right into Newton's left eye, which may have been done on purpose but he could never prove it. It didn't take long for us all to be sticky and in some cases a little tipsy. Bella had wisely arranged for a shitload of cabs so everyone could get home safely at the end of the night. She'd also managed to avoid being caught in the crossfire, coming in after the rowdiness had settled down and congratulating us on making the post season. She sent everyone a smile, her eyes lingering on me before she went back to her office. I loved the way she looked at me.

"Hitting the cage again, Edward?" Emmett asked, leaning his head against the locker and eying me suspiciously. That or he was just wasted and couldn't keep his eyes open. It was hard to tell.

I smiled. "Sure, why break my mojo now? It's working for me."

Emmett laughed exuberantly and smacked his hand against the locker, a resounding bang echoing through the locker room. "If you say so." He looked around and then leaned toward me, lowering his voice conspiratorially. "Be sure to tell Ms. Swan I said congratulations."

I blanched and looked around to make sure nobody heard him. There were still a few stragglers in the locker room but they weren't looking our way. "Uh, I don't know what you're talking about."

"Yeah, and I'm suddenly a blind idiot. I saw the way you were looking at her. And the way she looked at you, though she's at least a little more subtle about it. I thought about using my jock to wipe the drool off your face."

I smacked him. "That's foul, Em! Your jock better not be getting anywhere near my face."

"You know you want me. You're just too afraid of Rosie."

"Yes, that's it, the only thing keeping me from expressing my love for you." He laughed loudly and let out a loud hiccup.

"Well, I won't tell Ms. Swan about your lust for me. It'll be our little secret." His voice was starting to carry.

"Would you cut it out?" I hissed, smacking his huge arm as he howled with laughter. Then it hit me and I smiled at him. "Shouldn't you be getting home to Rose?"

He instantly stopped laughing at looked down at his watch. "Oh shit! It's almost midnight. She's going to kill me." And he was off like a shot, running pretty quickly for a drunken moron.

"Take one of the cabs," I shouted after him. He nodded and flicked me off without turning around. I chuckled as I got out of my wine soaked jersey and made my way to the showers. I wasn't going to wait until I got home to shower tonight. Plus, while I liked the thought of Bella licking champagne off me, I didn't think she'd be overly turned on by my stickiness.

I cleaned myself off quickly and changed into jeans and green t-shirt and grabbed one of the few leftover bottles of champagne on ice. I didn't bother with the ruse of going to the batting cages tonight; I went directly to Bella's office and knocked on her door.

"Come in," she called softly. I pushed open the door and grinned at her. She looked absurdly sexy sitting behind that big cherry desk in her prim black suit. I really wanted to throw everything off her desk and take her on top of it. I needed to hit that home run soon.

"Congratulations, boss," I told her, walking over to the old crystal decanter Charlie had kept on his shelf. I grabbed two glasses and popped the cork out of the bottle and poured us each a glass of champagne and placed one on her desk. She took it and smiled up at me but it didn't reach her eyes. I traced my fingers over her jaw. "What's wrong?"

The smile dissolved from her face and tears filled her eyes. "He would have been so excited tonight. He would have been right in there with you all, getting soaked with champagne and celebrating. I miss him so much, Edward." I perched on the edge of the desk and pulled her into my arms and she put her head on my shoulder and started to cry.

"I know, baby. I'll never forget the first time we made the playoffs, my second year with the club. He shook that champagne bottle and the cork flew and hit Emmett right in the back of the head. Charlie laughed and laughed and Em didn't dare get pissed because he was the boss. They got wasted together and passed out in this office. Jasper and I posed them in rather incriminating ways…I think I still have the photos somewhere. I like to taunt Emmett with them when gets out of line." She started laughing and tilted her head back and smiled at me. I wiped the tears off her face, thrilled that I could make her smile when she was down.

"Thank you, Edward, I needed that. I hated sitting in here, alone, feeling bad when I should be celebrating with the rest of you."

"You can celebrate with me now, sweetheart." She smiled and pressed her lips to mine and I was lost again, like I always was when I kissed her. She pulled away and picked up her drink and handed me mine.

"To winning," she said, clinking her glass against mine.

"To Charlie, who put this team together and to you, who pushed it over the top," I said. She teared up again but they didn't spill over this time and she raised her glass and tipped it toward me before taking a drink.

"To my team captain, for sucking up his demotion like a man." I gave her a mock glare and she giggled. "And also for not acting like a smug prick when I tell him that he'll be back to batting in the three spot tomorrow."

I chuckled and put my drink down, wrapping my arms around her waist. "Can't I be a little bit of a smug prick? I'm really quite good at it." She laughed and shook her head. "Can I at least taunt Newton a little bit? He had a good time giving me shit when he took my place."

She bit her lip and scrunched her forehead like she as in deep thought, then shook her head. "I'm afraid not," she said regretfully. "If you do, he'll come whining to me again and I don't know if I can deal with that anymore. He seems to think I find him charming but he's dead wrong."

"Has he hit on you?" I demanded, ready to push off the desk and find him and give him the beat down he so richly deserved. She hadn't said anything but I knew he wanted her and wouldn't put it past him to make a move and her not to tell me for fear that I would beat the shit out of him, which I most assuredly would do.

"Not really. He's dropped little hints that he'd like to take me out but I pretend not to notice and he gives up," she replied with a grin. "I was never into catchers anyway."

"Oh, yeah?" I pulled her a little closer to me. "Just who are you into?"

She tilted her hand and put her right index finger on her lip, giving every appearance of contemplating my question. "Pitchers!" she responded with a triumphant smile.

"Hmm, pitchers huh? Well, did you know, Ms. Swan, that I was a pitcher in high school?" She shook her head, her eyes widening in surprise. "I was good, too. I could have pitched in the bigs but they wanted me more for my bat than my arm." Initially I had been eyed as a potential starter but the scouts decided I should play every day. I loved hitting but occasionally I missed pitching. "Maybe you could use me if we go extras sometime. It'd be fun." I'd probably get shelled, not having pitched in years, but I'd love it.

"I'll keep that in mind," she murmured, looking at me with interest.

"What?"

"It's just nice to find out something about you I didn't know. A pitcher," she whispered. "Sexy."

"Shortstops are pretty sexy too," I pointed out, grinning at her.

"That's true. Derek Jeter is a total hottie," she said, trying and failing to keep a straight face.

"I'll tell him you think so," I said, pulling out my phone and flipping it open.

Her eyes widened and she tried to grab my phone from me but I held it above her head, laughing as she tried to jump in her sexy heels. "Don't you dare, Edward!" I flipped the phone closed and put it back in my pocket. "Do you really have Derek Jeter's phone number?" she asked, a glint in her eye.

"Yes. Want me to make that call after all?" I teased.

She shrugged. "Why not? He might go for me, right?" She smiled sweetly and I growled at her and pushed her onto her desk, settling between her legs.

"I'm sure he would but I'm afraid that he can't have you," I told her.

"Why not?" she asked, slightly out of breath.

"Because you're mine." I brushed her hair off her shoulder and placed a soft kiss on her neck.

"Oh, I am, am I? I didn't know I was a possession." The words were Ms. Swan's but the voice was Bella's, breathless and excited. My hand fisted in her hair involuntarily and I thought about taking her right there, on the desk, like I'd wanted to do since the moment I'd followed her sexy ass into the room a week ago. She deserved better than that though. We'd make plenty use of this office in due time.

I released her hair and she let out a little sigh, perhaps of disappointment. I grinned at her. "Well, if I possess you, you can possess me. I believe in equality."

She smiled slyly. "I think that sounds fair." She grabbed me by my collar and pulled me in for a kiss that made me second guess my decision not to take her then and there. I pulled back reluctantly and she pouted at me adorably. "Come on, Edward, I want to celebrate."

I took her hand and tugged her off the desk. "So do I, but I don't want our first time to be here. I know it sounds cheesy but I've wanted you for a long time and while fucking you hard and fast over your desk holds a lot of appeal…" she trilled out a laugh and I felt my cock get harder from just the sound of her happiness alone. "I'd rather take my time and do it right."

She wrapped her arms around me and pulled me flush to her delectable body. I buried my face in her hair. "You're such a contradiction, Edward. You infuriate me constantly but then you can be incredibly sweet." Her fingers trailed up and down my back, sending shivers dancing down my spine. "When will the time be right? I want you."

I wanted her too and I could keep putting her off, wait until the season was over and drive us both nuts, or I could give us what we both wanted. I pulled back and looked down into her hopeful face. "Come home with me?" I asked. I wanted to take her to my home, have her in my bed.

A smile brightened her face and she put her hand in mine. "Let's go."

The ride home felt interminable even though I was speeding through the streets. I was stone cold sober, though I wished I had a little bit of a buzz to control the inexplicable nerves creeping up on me. I kept hold of her hand while I steered with my left, just needing to touch to her to assure myself that she was in fact there, next to me, and not some amazing dream that I didn't want to end. I used to dream about her, right after she went away to school. I thought about visiting her at her dorm, crawling into one of those tiny twin beds and wrapping my body around hers. Tonight I would get to do just that, though we'd be in my much bigger king sized bed. I was actually kind of sad that we'd have all that room to maneuver.

I pulled into one of my assigned spaces in the parking garage and turned off the car, exiting quickly and hurrying around the Ferrari to let Bella out. I took her hand in mine again and tried to ignore the ridiculous flutter in my stomach at just her touch. We made our way to the elevators and I hit the button for the 10th floor. Bella's hand gripped mine tightly as she leaned into my side. Maybe waiting hadn't been my best idea. I should have just let my hormones rule and taken her in the office, then I wouldn't feel like a virgin on prom night right now. Why did I feel that way? _Because she matters. _

And that was it really. I cared about Bella, a lot. The evenings I'd spent with her had been the best of my life, almost like no time had passed at all. We just slipped back into that easy flow we'd had when she had her crush on me and I'd had my very own secret crush on her. And of course, the kissing was incredible. I hadn't had so many make-out sessions since I was in high school. It left me stimulated and frustrated at the same time, but I wouldn't have traded getting to know her again for all the sex in the world.

It freaked me out a little that neither of us were speaking, but I knew if I were to say anything I'd babble like an overexcited kid on the first day of vacation. This was way better than vacation. There was an air of anticipation humming between the two of us. I knew that I couldn't set the stage for seduction tonight. I had to have her quickly. The elevator stopped and I led Bella down the hallway to my door, unlocking it frantically, as if I were a pregnant woman in need of a bathroom. It was ridiculous how excited and nervous I was.

We got into the hallway and I threw my keys on the side table and shut the door, pressing Bella against it and finally giving into the need to claim her lips. That was what I needed, just to taste her again. My nerves vanished and I just felt the heat, the passion and even the affection between us. I liked this woman…hell, if I was honest; I was half in love with her already. Maybe all the way but I wasn't ready to admit that to myself yet, let alone her. We had time.

I started to tug on Bella's black jacket and she shrugged out of it. I broke our kiss to press my lips to her neck. "I love your Ms. Swan clothes," I murmured against her throat. I felt her half strangled laugh vibrate through my lips as I bit gently on her collarbone.

"Just get me out of them," she said huskily, tugging on my hair which made me groan as I continued my assault on her neck. I began unbuttoning her blouse and pulled her away from the door. I couldn't take her against the front door, even though I badly wanted to.

My lips stayed on her soft skin as I navigated the hallway. "Kitchen," I murmured, gesturing behind me. "Bathroom," I pointed to the right. She giggled as I kept on kissing her and giving her the most half-assed home tour ever. It was also the best one ever if I did say so myself. Finally, we were there. "Bedroom," I announced as I pushed her now unbuttoned blouse off her shoulders. I flicked on the light switch and sucked in a breath as I saw the sexy pink satin she wore underneath her shirt. Not basic white for my Bella. I traced a finger over that pink satin and ran my tongue over the dip in her cleavage. "So beautiful," I whispered as I steered her to the bed.

"You're the beautiful one," she told me as she yanked impatiently on my shirt. I laughed and pulled back so she could lift it over my head. Her hands immediately began to trace over my abdomen and I felt my muscles tighten underneath her touch. It felt incredible to have her hands on my skin at last.

I went back to kissing her neck and shoulders, then dipping down to trace my lips over the curved edges of her bra. She wrapped her arms around me and ran her fingernails up and down my back, sending shivers through me. God, she felt incredible in my arms. I reached back and undid her bra and slid the straps down her shoulders. I bit back a rather unmanly whimper as her breasts finally came into view, then wasted no time in putting my hands on them. They were perfection, fitting in the palm of my hands like they'd been made for me, with rosy nipples that just begged for my attention.

I ran my thumbs over her nipples and smiled as I watched them pebble under my touch as she moaned and threw back her head. She was so responsive…I loved it. I lowered my head and took her right peak in my mouth, running my tongue over her nipple before gently biting it. She gasped and buried both her hands in my hair, holding me as I lavished attention on her breast. I moved to the left one and gave it the same attention, as she whispered my name and thrust against me. I reached behind her and found the zipper to her skirt and undid it, pushing it over her hips, which she wiggled to help gravity work. She stepped out of the skirt and kicked off her shoes as I continued to feast on her lovely breasts.

"Edward, please," she whispered, tugging on my hair a little harder now, pulling my face away from her chest.

"Please what?" I asked, letting my eyes wander the rest of her, now that only her pink satin panties were left. Her stomach had that pretty little concave dip that I just wanted to lick and the string bikini underwear didn't cover a lot. I wanted to suck on the lovely hipbones that were jutting out and taste every inch of her pale skin. "You're stunning." She was too; better than I imagined she would be. Though I still wanted to kick my own ass for wasting time, I was sort of glad that we'd waited, because this moment would always be perfection in my eyes.

"I need you," she told me, her hands undoing the button on my jeans and flicking my fly open. She pulled my zipper down and started to push my pants off. I hurried to help her by stepping out of my shoes and my jeans, pulling her against me, our bodies only separated by the thinnest of barriers. I wanted to get her completely naked but I had some exploring to do first. I guided her onto the bed gently and thrilled at the sight of her spread out before me.

I lowered myself down on top of her, meeting her lips with mine again. She opened her mouth and our tongues met, seeking one another softly as my hands glided over her body. I ran my hands over her shoulders and her arms, down to her hands, pulling them up on either side of her shoulders and linking our fingers. She bucked against me and I felt my eyes cross as my cock aligned with her perfectly. It was too soon but I wanted to be inside of her badly.

I dragged my lips away from hers and went back to kissing her throat, tracing my tongue over her as she moaned beneath me. Still, I kept her hands in place, knowing that if I let her touch me now it would end too quickly. I'd wanted this girl for five years and I was going to savor being with her finally. I found her breasts again and smiled as I kissed all around her sensitive nipple before taking it into my mouth and tugging gently with my teeth. "Damn, Edward," she moaned. "That feels so good." Damn right it did. I gave the other nipple the same treatment before making my way down her sexy stomach.

My tongue darted out of my mouth and licked over that soft flesh. Her skin was like silk and she tasted like some sweet fruit, peaches and strawberries or something. Whatever it was, it was fantastic. I darted my tongue into her belly button and she jerked in surprise. "Holy shit," she whispered.

"What?" I asked, sticking my tongue in again and swirling it around as she jerked below me.

"Who knew that was an erogenous zone?" she asked breathlessly, wiggling as I kept my grip on her hands, holding her mostly in place.

"I did," I told her with a cheeky grin before I went back to kissing her stomach.

"Jackass," she huffed.

"Want me to stop?" I asked, looking up at her again. She was so damn beautiful, flushed with pleasure even as she scowled at me.

"Hell no," she told me. "You're just getting to the good part."

"Oh? What would that part be?"

"You know," she told me, gesturing with her chin.

"Right here?" I asked, dipping into her belly button again.

"Uh, no, but that's pretty good too," she replied

"Here?" I asked, kissing down her stomach and nipping her right hip bone with my teeth.

"Fuck!" she jerked up again.

"What's the matter, Bella?"

"Nothing, it's all very, very good."

"So, is this the spot then?" I nibbled on her left hip bone then and got that same arched back response. God, I loved teasing her.

"Not quite the one I had in mind but still pretty good," she responded, sounding like she'd done wind sprints around the stadium.

"Hmm, well, where else could you possibly be talking about?" I brought our joined hands down by her waist. "Maybe you should point it out?" She glared at me but pointed to her panty covered pussy. "Oh, there? Well why didn't you say so?"

"You are an asshole," she muttered, a flush covering her cheeks.

"Yes, but I'm your asshole," I told her, letting her hands go and yanking off her underwear with one good tug while she wasn't looking at me. She yelped in surprise as I threw the silky fabric across the room and ran my tongue over her bare pussy. God, how much did I love what was going on underneath Ms. Swan's perfect little suits? Sexy lingerie and a shaved pussy? Yes, she was going to have be naked a lot more often.

I ran my tongue over her clit as I slowly guided a finger inside her. Bella's hands, now free, went back to my head and held me there. I was trapped between soft thighs and strong hands and lapping at the sweetest pussy I'd ever tasted. She was so very worth the wait. She was incredibly wet and I slipped another finger inside her as I increased both the rhythm of my hands and my tongue. She writhed underneath me as I worked her over, curving my fingers forward and finding the spot that drove her wild. She screamed my name as she came apart, tightening around my fingers as I lapped her up. I slowly moved my fingers out of her as she unclenched and I continued to lick her gently as she came down from her orgasm.

She was completely spent on the bed, lying like a limp noodle, sprawled out with her eyes closed. God I hoped she wasn't too tired to finish this. I didn't think I had the strength not to take her. I crawled up her body and her eyes flashed open. She looked slightly dazed but at least she was still awake. "Bella, baby, I need to have you," I told her, my voice coming out a little too whiny but I couldn't help it.

She giggled and reached up to pull me down to her, our lips meeting. I groaned when she ran her tongue over my lips, tasting herself on me. That was so hot. I kept kissing her while I fumbled in my night stand, grabbing a condom and ripping it open. "Is this okay?" I asked.

"Well I didn't come here to play canasta," she told me with a giggle. I bit her neck and she squealed as I slid the condom over my aching cock. I had to be inside her.

"We'll play that another day," I told her as I lined my cock up with her pussy and slowly entered her. Her eyes rolled back a little as I slid all the way in and I moaned at the feeling of her tight pussy enveloping my entire length. I found her hands again and laced our fingers together. I wanted to be completely connected to her in all ways. My eyes met hers as I began to slow thrust in and out of her. I had never felt so at one with anyone in my life.

Her hips rose in perfect time with mine, as if we were meant to be joined. And maybe we had been; I'd just been too scared to see it the first time around. I kept my eyes on hers as I leaned forward to touch her lips with mine in a slow, savoring kiss. Her eyes were steady on mine as our lips moved in time with our bodies, slow, pleasurable movements.

Our pace increased together, as if we'd discussed it, but it was our bodies that just seemed to know what each other needed. Our hands tightened their grip on one another as our lips grew hungrier and our bodies moved faster. I felt her start to tighten around me as I increased my motion. My lips swallowed her cries as she came around me. My cock jerked at the sensation of her walls grasping around it and I felt my own orgasm erupt. Though my vision blurred, my eyes stayed locked on hers as I came inside her, our hands still joined. I gave her a gentle kiss as I slipped from her body and rolled next to her, still holding left hand as I rolled the condom off and wrapped it in a tissue. I turned back to her and brushed the sweaty hair off her face. She was so damn beautiful and I told her so.

She laughed and gave me a kiss and then curled up against me. I wrapped my arms around her. "That was worth the wait," she told me and I laughed.

"I agree. I don't think it would have been quite this good when you were seventeen." She shook her head and kissed my chest.

"Maybe not but it still would have been fun," she responded. I tilted her face up and kissed her again softly.

"I'm just glad you're here now."

"Me too." She kissed me again and then put her head on my shoulder and closed her eyes. I realized I'd have to get up to turn off the light but I didn't want to relinquish her. My eyes fell on a baseball that was sitting by my bed. It was signed by my favorite Cardinal shortstop, Ozzie Smith. I plucked it off the nightstand and Bella's eyes opened as she felt my shoulder bunch up underneath her.

"What are you doing?" she asked, sounding rather sleepy. It was after 2 AM, so I couldn't blame her.

"Turning off the light," I told her. She sat up and so did I. This made it a lot easier so I threw the ball at the lamp and hit it dead on. The light went off as the bulb broke and the ball bounced off the wall and went God knows where. I'd find it in the morning. And I'd have to be careful about walking in the far corner of the room.

"I can't believe you didn't just get up to turn off the light," she told me.

"Admit it, that was way cooler," I told her with a chuckle as I lay back down and she snuggled against me.

"It wasn't very bright, there's glass all over the floor," she pointed out but I could hear the laughter in her voice.

"I just won't go in that corner," I told her. She giggled and kissed me.

"Goodnight, weirdo," she murmured.

"Goodnight."

Xoxoxoxox

I woke to sunlight streaming through the blinds and groaned at the intrusion. I'd woken Bella at 5 AM for an encore and a glance at my clock told me it was 10. I had to get up and get ready. I looked over and frowned as I saw that Bella was not in bed with me. I got out and wandered down the hallway, not bothering to put anything on. We had time for another round, maybe in the shower this time. That would be fantastic. "Bella?" I called, listening to her name echo off the marble floors. No response. Where the fuck was she?

There was a light on in the kitchen so I went in there but no Bella. There was, however, a note on the black granite countertop. I scowled and snatched it up. She fucking left!

_Edward,_

_I had to go in for a meeting with the GM at 11 and I didn't want to wake you. I stole one a pair of your boxers and one of your spring training t-shirts with your name on it. You're not going to get either one of them back, so thanks for the present. I also borrowed your car. Yes, I could have called a cab but you're going to the same place I am so I figure you can reclaim it later. I'd have left you cab fare but I figure you'd think I was paying you for sex and you'd be insulted. Plus, you were worth slightly more than what a cab would cost. Only slightly though. See you at work!_

_Yours,_

_Bella_

Fuck, she took my car! I didn't know whether I should be annoyed or impressed. I seemed to be a combination of both. The woman had balls, no doubt about it. And now I was supposed to take a cab? It's not like I didn't have other cars, it was the principle of the thing. Nobody drove my car, not even Emmett, except for that one time that he sucker punched me and took the keys. Ms. Swan was back. She was something else.

I decided I may as well have a sense of humor about it. It'd make a great story someday, years and years in the future. I grabbed some orange juice and went to shower and get ready for my day. Something told me it was going to be interesting.

Xoxoxoxox

I got to the stadium at 2 PM after calling Jasper for a ride, telling him I'd left my car at work and taken a cab home last night. I took some practice in the cage before heading out to the field to take some grounders. Emmett jogged over to me and looked me up and down. "So, how was it?"

"How was what?" I asked, scooping up the ball and throwing it to Uley at second. "Shouldn't you be in position?" I wondered.

He rolled his eyes. "Yeah, I really need the work. How was it?"

"How was what, dude?" What the hell was going on with him?

"Um, sex with Ms. Swan?" he asked, again in entirely too loud a voice for the conversation.

"Emmett, would you shut the fuck up? Why don't you have them put it on the damn scoreboard?" I hissed.

He had the presence of mind to look abashed, which was pretty hilarious on a guy his size. "Sorry."

"How do you know, anyway?"

"You have that I got laid glow about you," he told me matter-of-factly, as if there was such a thing.

"I don't know what the hell you're talking about," I told him. Was I fucking glowing?

"Are you denying that you got laid last night?" he demanded, his hands on his hips and his blue eyes looking at me knowingly.

"No, I just don't get how you would know that."

"I saw the way you two were looking at one another, numbnuts. And you look like you've been laid and laid well." Jesus, did it actually show? I looked at my arms but saw no sparkling of any kind. Emmett was insane.

"Look, I don't know what you're talking about but it doesn't matter. I don't kiss and tell."

"Like hell you don't! What about the model from SI? And the waitress from Hooters? And that commercial exec from…" I cut him off before he could spout off my entire sexual history. The fact that he remembered so much of it was slightly disturbing.

"She's different, okay?"

A smile broke out over his face. He looked like he'd won the damn lottery. He clapped a hand on my shoulder. "Good for you, man! You're in love." I looked around quickly to make sure nobody overheard that and that's when my eyes fell on Bella. She was standing over at home plate listening to whatever Mike Newton was discussing. He was gesturing and then he put his hand on her arm. She moved out from under his grip but my eyes narrowed as he brushed some stray hair that was blowing in the breeze out of her eyes.

"Motherfucker," I muttered. Emmett turned and saw Newton talking to Bella and shook his head.

"He never gives up. He was talking about how he was going to nail her. She doesn't seem remotely interested though." She didn't either. She kept nodding but wasn't meeting his eyes. Then she looked my way and I felt the heat from her gaze all the way down in my toes. She was dressed in yet another loose-fitting skirt, this one some tan color and she had on a short sleeved cream blouse to go with the warm day. No jacket this time. I licked my lips at the sight of her and she bit hers in response before cutting her eyes back to Newton. He touched her arm again and again she shrugged it off. He needed to be taught a lesson about touching my woman.

"Hey man, I see that look in your eyes. You can't go over and punch out Newton for talking to your girl, not if you don't want the world to know you're involved," Emmett warned me. He was right but that didn't mean I had to stand by and do nothing.

"Hey, Em, go cover home plate." His eyes widened and then he chuckled and jogged over. Newton was turned away from me and I could see Bella's beautiful face as she listened to him continue to talk. She looked completely bored and that made me laugh. Em stood about 10 feet away from her, just to the left. I cocked my arm back and let the ball fly. "Oops, it got away from me," I called to Emmett as the ball went directly where I'd aimed it, right into Newton's left ass cheek. He yelped in pain and surprise and grabbed his ass as Emmett laughed his own ass off and Bella glared at me. Fuck, she was hot when she was angry. She knew I did it on purpose of course, she'd seen me fire a fastball at my own lamp just hours ago.

"What the fuck, Cullen?" Mike shouted, still holding his ass, his round face red with either anger or embarrassment. Who cared really?

"Sorry, Mike, the ball got away from me," I called as I jogged over, ostensibly to show concern for my injured teammate but really to be closer to Bella. She looked like she was about to go off.

"Like hell," she muttered softly. I wasn't sure if Mike heard her but I did and I gave her a charming smile.

"You did it on purpose! He's been out to get me for ages, Ms. Swan! You saw it with your own two eyes! Are you going to discipline him?" He rubbed his ass gingerly. What a fucking baby.

"Mr. Cullen, I'd like to speak to you in my office," Bella told me through clenched teeth. She whirled on her heel and tossed the word, "Now" over her shoulder. My cock immediately stood at attention and I trotted along behind her obediently, loving the way her ass swayed as she tottered along in her heels. She really should stop dressing so formally at the office but she was so damn hot that I wasn't complaining. We walked in silence down to her office and she opened the door for me. I strode past her with a shit-eating grin on my face and turned to face her when she slammed the door shut and rounded on me.

"What the fuck did you do that for?" she asked angrily, jabbing her pointer finger into my chest.

"What do you mean? He kept touching you and I couldn't exactly kick his ass for that so I did the next best thing. He can't prove I did it on purpose. Neither can you for that matter." Not that she needed proof to suspend me if she wanted but it would be to her own team's detriment.

"Did I look like I needed help? Did I look like I needed you to piss around me to mark your territory?" No, but that would be fun to do. I wisely kept my mouth shut though. "I was handling him just fine on my own, I'll have you know. I don't need you pulling a caveman on me, Cullen. I can take care of myself." Her face was red, her chest was heaving and she was completely sexy. I yanked her to me and kissed her hungrily. She put her hands on my shoulders as if to push me away but instead curled them into fists and held me in place as her mouth worked furiously against mine.

I tore my lips from hers and smirked. "You signed the note yours, you know, so you did declare yourself my territory," I pointed out, knowing I was playing with fire. She growled and yanked me forward again, our lips crashing together. I grabbed her waist and pushed her onto her desk, hiking her skirt up and pulling her panties down her legs, but leaving her sexy brown heels on.

She palmed my cock through my baseball pants, grasping the cup and I gasped as it pushed against my hard-on. Fuck, that hurt. She didn't seem to care though because she kept applying pressure. "Bella, that hurts," I told her anxiously.

"Ms. Swan," she corrected with a raised eyebrow. Fuck that was hot.

"Ms. Swan, that doesn't feel very good and if you'd ever like to use my cock for your pleasure again, you need to stop," I told her through clenched teeth. She eased up on the pressure slightly but kept her hand on the cup, ready to apply more if necessary. I had to tread carefully.

"I believe I told you, Mr. Cullen, that I don't want my players fighting," she murmured.

"Technically it wasn't a fight," I pointed out and then winced when she increased pressure. I could remove her hand but this was her show and I was her employee. I'd let her have her way for now, as long as her way included me fucking her on her desk.

"Are we really going to discuss technicalities now?" she asked.

"No, Ms. Swan," I responded dutifully.

"Good. Now you injured one of my players," she pointed out, thankfully not pushing against my cup.

"Yes, I guess technically I did. But you know; I could have hit him somewhere way worse than just his big ass. But it's a huge target so that's what I went for."

A giggle escaped her lips but then she straightened her features into a stern look. I wanted to bite her. "Since you were warned about your issues with Mr. Newton, I'm afraid I have no choice but to suspend you."

"What? But Bella I…"

"Ms. Swan!" she shouted and I jumped as the pressure increased on my cup.

"Ms. Swan," I breathed. "It's almost time for the playoffs and I don't think…"

"No, you don't think, do you Mr. Cullen? If you had, you wouldn't have seen fit to give my catcher a bruise right before the playoffs started. He might have to miss some playing time." Please, like getting hit in that fat ass would truly hurt him. It was like a trampoline, the ball just bounced off. "Maybe I should go check to see how it looks," Ms. Swan said with a smirk.

That did it. "Like hell you will." I yanked her hand off my cock and took my cup out off my jock and threw it across the room. At least if she was going to apply pressure to my dick now she could use her pretty little hand to do it. And while she was down there…

Bella's jaw dropped open for a second and then snapped shut with a little click. "That was very unprofessional Mr. Cullen."

"So was throwing the ball at Mike's ass but I did that too," I responded, irritated and worked up and just wanting to fuck the shit out of her.

She crossed her arms and swung her sexy legs back and forth on her desk. "If you do one more unprofessional thing, I'll be forced to suspend you for the playoffs." I nearly laughed at the ludicrousness of that statement but kept up my irritated façade.

"What would you consider unprofessional?" I asked, standing between her legs and pulling her knees apart. She let out a little whimper and leaned back on the desk. "Would fucking you, right here and now, be unprofessional?" She shook her head and I kicked my cleats off and yanked my pants and jock down. I lined my cock with her pussy and ran the head over her clit, moaning at the wetness I found there. She was completely turned on, just like I was. I started to slide into her and then stopped. Fuck.

"Uh, you don't happen to have a condom…"

"I'm on the pill," she snapped impatiently. That was all I needed and I thrust all the way into her. This wasn't like the first or second time. That had been making love. This was fucking, exactly what I'd wanted to do since the first time pulled the attitude on me in this very office. She lay back as I pounded into her, our bodies clapping together with each thrust. It wasn't long before we were both coming. I slipped out of her and pulled her off the desk, wincing as I realized exactly how uncomfortable that probably was for her. She straightened her skirt and slid off the desk, rubbing her back a little.

"Are you okay?" I asked, worried that I'd fucked things up by taking her that way. She looked at me for a minute and then flashed me a beautiful smile.

"Of course I am. I've wanted this since the day I came back." I laughed and pulled her to me, kissing her gently. She responded and then pulled back and knelt to pick up her underwear.

I adjusted my jock and pulled up my pants and walked across the room to retrieve my cup, sliding it back in place. "Uh, hey, Bella?" I asked, turning to face her.

"What?" She collapsed into her plush office chair and smirked at me again.

"Am I really suspended?" With her, who fucking knew? One minute we were making love and the next we were fighting.

She tilted her head in contemplation and then a big grin broke out over her face. "Of course not. I just had to let Newton think I was yelling at you so he'd leave me the hell alone about it." I walked over to her and knelt down to give her a kiss. "If anyone asks, I reamed you good." I nearly made a crude comment about that being what I'd done to her but refrained. I could show class sometimes.

"Will do, boss," I said with a smile as I made my way to the door. "See you later?"

"Yes, I believe I have your keys to return," she said with a giggle. I laughed and went to get ready for the game. I needed another shower, clearly.

Xoxoxoxo

It was the bottom of the 9th inning in a 3-3 game. Trevor Hoffman was on the mound and I was up with nobody on and one out. His first pitch was a slider, low and away for ball one. His second pitch was a low strike that I let whiz by me because I didn't like it. His third pitch was a high inside for ball two. His forth pitch came out of his hand and fired at me, a fast ball right over the middle of the plate. I pushed off my right foot, brought my bat forward and connected with it in the perfect spot. I stood for a second; because I knew the instant the ball hit the bat that it was gone. It was a towering shot toward left center and it cleared the wall with 15 feet to spare. I trotted the bases and came around to home plate where all my teammates, minus Mike Newton who was in the locker room with an ice pack on his ass, gathered around to meet me at the plate.

We did our celebratory home run fist bumps and hugs over the walk off win. I walked back toward the dugout and my eyes fell on Bella, who was standing at the steps waiting for me. "Looks like you finally hit that home run," she murmured softly. I could barely hear her over the din of the crowd but I was close enough to make out her words.

"Yeah, it took me long enough," I told her, both of us knowing that we weren't referring to the ball I'd just launched over the fence.

"Well, don't take so long to hit another," she told me with a tiny smile curving her lips.

"I'd like to go for a multi-homer night, if you'd be amenable." My teammates poured into the locker room as I stood and waited for her answer.

"I'll meet you in the batting cage," she told me. Hot damn. I ran to the showers, practically whistling the whole way there. This was turning out to be the best season ever. God knew what the postseason would bring…I couldn't wait to find out.

* * *

**A/N And there you have it...though as you can plainly see there is room for more should I be so inclined down the road. For now I'm clicking complete but after one of my other stories finishes maybe I'll change the status. Thanks so much for reading!**

**I'm up for auction for FGB this weekend so if there's something else you'd like to make me write, either for this story or any of my others or something new, feel free to come bid on me. It's for a great cause and I'm pretty excited about participating this year. I hope to hear from some of you there.**


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